After Your Death
by Lily Evans Potter Black Lupin
Summary: Harry's dead, and he has one last message for Draco, but will Draco listen?


There is a finality in death that not even the strongest can overturn.

He had not wanted to die, to leave people behind. He had wanted to live his life beside the person he loved, with his friends around them forever, but it had not come to pass. Instead here he was a guest of honor at his own funeral. He would leave after this, oh but how he wished it could be otherwise. How he wished he could hold the man that was crying next to his grave and comfort him. But he would do one last thing before leaving for the other world to meet for the first time his parents.

* * *

Draco couldn't find the strength to leave the grave of his beloved, he couldn't and he wouldn't. He'd rather die beside the grave than face another lonely day without Harry in their house they bought filled with hopes of future happiness and a future family.

Why had Harry died? He'd defeated the Dark Lord two years ago, it was not conceivable that after all that danger and struggle had passed and been surmounted that he would die because of a muggle illness.

"_Draco darling, go home,"_

For a minute it had seemed as if he had heard Harry's voice, right next to him trying to give him strength. It couldn't be and it hurt all the more that his mind was playing these horribly deceiving tricks on him. He suddenly heard a voice screaming, HARRY, WHY DID YOU LEAVE ME? HARRY, WHY? Why?

Whimpering he realized the voice had been himself.

"_Draco go home", _Slowly a figure began to form as the voice became stronger,

"_Go home Draco, and give someone else the chance to love you as I do, go home and do all the things we would have done, form a family, and share laughs and stories, and most of all grow old with them and be loved, and love in return."_

Draco looking on the translucent face of his beloved, couldn't understand what Harry was asking of him, it couldn't be possible that Harry would wish for Draco to love someone else, yet it was possible, Harry had always been the most selfless of them both and Draco had loved him dearly for that reason. But Draco couldn't accept what Harry was telling him.

"I can't Harry, I can't be happy without you, you can't ask me to forget about you! I'd rather die right here than go home and forget about us." Draco was upset at Harry's suggestions of being happy without him.

"_Draco, Merlin knows I would have loved to stay with you, and live together until both of us died, but it wasn't possible, but you are still alive and you cannot give your life up. I want you to be happy. Perhaps my death is for the best, I don't know what could have happened many years in the future, but what if my love began to make you miserable? This way you will remember all the good times together, and you will say, " I have loved a good man." Perhaps we weren't meant to be together in this life, and there is someone else out there that could make you happier than I ever could." _

Draco couldn't listen anymore to what Harry was saying,

" Harry, I love you, how could it be possible that I would stop loving you? You cannot leave me, I'd rather you haunt me forever until I can join you in the spirit realm, but please don't leave me!"

_Dearest, I cannot, it would be selfish, and it would be unhealthy for you. I can't stay here, but I will promise you that we will find each other once again, and that I'll be looking over you and yours. Don't forget Draco, but do move on. I love you, and my love transcends even death and separation._

With one last look at his love, Harry moved out of the physical realm, and was not seen again.

* * *

**EPILOGUE:**

Draco, for many years didn't understand what Harry tried to tell him that day in the graveyard. Ron and Hermione did their best to look after Draco but they despaired of him ever really moving on. However, one day a man crashed into him and he began to smile once again. That man's name was Ethan, and he was a young widower with a lovely child. Then Harry's message began to come through to Draco, and he understood that though he would always love Harry, there was still enough room in his heart and his life to love someone else.

Now as an old man nearing the end of his life, Draco smiled, and said "I've had a good life."

As for Harry he couldn't have been happier looking out for his beloved as he had been for the past sixty some years, and he looked forward to being with him once again.


End file.
